Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology will be published Thursday, June 18.
According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office this morning, the Vatican gave this precise date for the release of the highly anticipated document.
“To avoid confusion over the date of publication of the long-awaited encyclical of Pope Francis, the confirmed date of publication will be next Thursday, June 18, 2015,” the statement noted, adding, “Next week further details about the encylical will be made public in the daily bulletin of the Holy See.”
The encyclical will be reportedly titled Laudato Sii (Praised Be To You,), which is a title reflecting St. Francis’ Canticle of the Sun, a hymn of praise to God for His creations, written in 1224.
In recent days, Fr. Giuseppe Costa, director of the Vatican Publishing House, was asked about the title by Religious Information Service (SIR), at which time he confirmed the name. He also confirmed reports that it would be released in mid-June, but did not confirm which day.
In January, Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, had told journalists that he believed the encyclical would be released “before the summer.”
Several news sources on Twitter had speculated that June 16 would be the exact day of the encyclical’s release.
This morning, however, the Holy See Press Office issued its first official statement regarding the encyclical’s publishing date.
